Created by Roger Hargreaves in 1971, the Mr Men series is a seminal collection of children's fiction that is recognised all over the world. The series began with Mr Tickle who was later joined by other favourites including Mr Happy, Mr Bump, Mr Perfect and Mr Greedy.
The characters live in Misterland and each have their own dominant personality and physical attributes. The simple illustrative style and bright, bold colours made them an instant hit with toddlers - and it was only a matter of time before the Men were joined by the equally popular Little Miss characters.
The rights to the Mr Men and Little Miss franchise were sold to Chorion in 2004 before the Hello Kitty creator Sanrio announced they were acquiring the rights in 2011. As is expected of all popular licences these days, the characters have gradually found themselves appearing not just in their own books, but on all kinds of merchandise including dressing up costumes, board games, colouring books… and of course… toys!
Paul Lamond Games are behind some particularly fun Mr Men floor puzzles, whilst Smiffys have produced several dressing up costumes based on some of the most popular characters. Mr Men and Little Miss haven't escaped the digital treatment either - with Fisher Price responsible for some electronic plush toys and VTech behind Mr Men-branded software for the Storio Reading System.
In 2013 it was announced that Mookie Toys were licenced to create a range of plush toys featuring these adorable evergreen characters. The collection is also accompanied by specially shaped soft backpacks, toy figures, keyrings and playsets.
Numerous animated TV shows and DVD releases have kept the franchise fresh and relevant to new audiences over the decades since the books were first published. 20th Century Fox's Mr Men film which was released in 2011 inspired a whole new collection of toys and introduced a new generation of youngsters to the legendary characters.
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